Lenormand cards are difficult to misinterpret. They pretty much “tell it like it is” in a matter-of-fact, plain and simple way. I love this quality about them and when I want or need a “quick read” on a situation, I almost always pull out a Lenormand deck first.

When I want to dig deeper, I turn to Tarot. Talk about juicy… Tarot virtually drips with psychological insights, motivations, expectations, mindsets and more. It continually amazes me how much information a handful of Tarot cards can reveal.

Recently, a female Querent (person asking the question) sought assistance regarding an altercation between herself and another family member over parenting practices. In the heat of a vicious quarrel (which had quickly gotten out of hand), harsh words had been spoken, leaving both family members feeling misunderstood, hurt and angry.

I decided to cast a Lenormand Line of 5, specifically wanting to see what help might be available:

Q: Family Altercation: Is There a Solution? If So, What?

As usual, the Lenormand cards mirrored the situation quite accurately. The Line of 5 described the conflict. The base card (bottom card of the shuffled deck), in conjunction with the hinge card (central card in the Line of 5), suggested a practical approach to resolution:

“Ongoing/ cyclical (Ring) bickering (Birds) between siblings and/or about a child/ children (Birds + Child) is causing misunderstandings and is disrupting family harmony (Lilies + Clouds). An agreement (Ring) must be reached before harmony (Lilies) can be restored.”

I found the “advice” — “a man can help, perhaps a mediator”(Birds + Gentleman) particularly encouraging because there was actually a professional man both family members knew and respected who fit the bill. This man would likely not only be willing to intervene, but would also likely be listened to by both parties. I passed the information along.

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Still, wanting to learn more about the situation, I turned to Tarot. I was about to pick up one of my usual reading decks when a card image from the Thoth deck came to mind.

According to noted anthropologist/ Tarot authority Angeles Arrien*, VIII-ADJUSTMENT (JUSTICE) in the Crowley-Thoth tarot deck reflects the principles of alignment, balance, negotiation and truth. My desire to know the truth of the matter regarding this particular situation must have triggered the spontaneous visualization of this card image. Surely it was not coincidence… [*See Ms. Arrien’s classic exploration of the Thoth tarot deck: The Tarot Handbook: Practical Applications of Ancient Visual Symbols ]

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Note: As I’m sure you know, the Crowley-Thoth tarot deck is not for the faint-hearted. If you’re going to use it, you need to put on your thick skin. A couple dozen years ago when I was first introduced to C-T, a wise friend shared this secret:

“Thoth never lies.”

Over the years, I have consistently found this to be true.

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The extremely yang, in-your-face Crowley-Thoth tarot deck does not sugar-coat. When attuned to its “voice” (a challenge sometimes, especially if you’re emotionally involved in the reading’s subject matter), you may find it to be less vulnerable to misinterpretation than the majority of decks out there in the Tarotverse…

Since I was performing the reading as an outside observer and not personally in the thick of it, I decided to go ahead and see what Thoth had to say about the matter, using one of my go-to tarot spreads, The Five Pointed Star with Significator:

Arguments/ cruel words between relatives have ensued because each party believes she is an authority on the matter (9 of Swords in Position 1 with MARS in Gemini; Knight of Swords in Position 2). Knights (the equivalent of Kings in Rider-Waite decks) have a “divine right” to rule. The Knight of Swords/ King of Swords mindset applies to both parties, leaving the other feeling disregarded, accused, exploited and/or intimidated. In conjunction with 9 of Swords, the caustic, sarcastic comments hurt. So we have an argument over child discipline (Princess of Disks/ Page of Pentacles) with each party wounding and being wounded/ emotionally hurt by the other’s sharpwords (9 of Swords) because each believes she is an authority on the subject (Knight of Swords/ King of Swords).

Thoth Tarot 9 of SwordsThoth Tarot Knight of Swords (King of Swords)

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2 of Wands in Position 3 supplies additional information and/or factors to be considered. Here, 2 of Wands shows dominion. This is the will to dominate. The card suggests that both parties want to impose their will (MARS in Aries) upon the other. Based on the preceding three cards, it appears that differences of opinion will outweigh any sense of balance or centeredness.

Thoth Tarot 2 of Wands

Position 4 shows the Answer, Solution or Advice. Here, the 9 of Cups shines a light on the querent’s deep desire for keeping the peace/ harmony. Read in relation to Queen of Wands in Position 5, I sense this could occur at the querent’s expense: the Probable Outcome suggests that at the time of this reading, the more fiery (aggressive) family member will prevail.

Thoth Tarot 9 of Cups

Thoth Tarot Queen of Wands

Clarification Cards

Simply interpreted, XII-The Hanged Man suggests a limiting pattern that needs to be broken. A suspension of activity may be in order. Perhaps more solitary time/ time apart from each other (9 of Disks) would ultimately aid the peacemaking process and/or help restore family harmony (10 of Cups). The Hanged Man also indicates that some time will pass before any solution or resolution is reached.

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At this time, I have no feedback from the querent, so I don’t know the outcome.

Will the parties follow through with a mediator (Lenormand advice)?

Will the querent ultimately decide to back down, “sacrificing” her position for harmony’s sake, letting the other, more aggressive family member prevail (Thoth‘s prediction)?

Will the energies surrounding the situation change enough to facilitate another outcome?

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